Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Barack and Wayne and You and Me

I thought about simply encouraging you all to get out and vote today. I thought about not mentioning my choice in a candidate, although anyone who reads this blog knows I'm voting for Barack Obama. Then I thought, if I can inspire one person to go vote, I've got to do it. And if I can't inspire you, maybe Wayne Nelson can.

Several months ago Mr. Nelson hired artist Harmon Mandigo to paint this mural on his Altadena clothing store, Wayne's Fashion. The Pasadena Star-News did a story about the mural and quoted Nelson as saying, "I figured I'd do whatever I can to help..." (I'd like to read the rest of the article but the charge for reading archived articles on the PSN website is unbelievable, outrageous, even despicable. But I digress...)

Timothy Rutt of Altadenablog was the first to post about Wayne Nelson's mural. I found it while tooling around Angela Odom's State & Lake. (I particularly like her photo.) I hurried on over to be third in line.

Nelson's small shop at 2808 N. Lincoln Avenue in Altadena is a busy place. The shelves are piled high with all things Obama. When I arrived the store was packed with customers buying Obama t-shirts, hats and buttons. People want to represent. But Nelson was able to take a minute to pose with his prized mural. He even took a picture of me with it.We are excited, Wayne and I. We are two seemingly different people brought together by our hopes for America. We like Obama's message of hope and tolerance. We like his world view. We like the way he's taken the high road during his campaign, unlike the other candidate who degraded his own once-decent reputation by stooping to lies, insults and racial slurs.

We believe a President Obama can return America to decency in the eyes of the world and in our own, and lead America down the high road as a great nation once more.

53 comments:

Fabulous portraits, Petrea! Both of Wayne and of yourself. I'm going to keep my fingers still about your candidates — this'll become an essay otherwise. I'll just say that my husband and I support your choice too.

About seeing me all over the place — I suspect we just like the same blogs and get attracted to the same photos in the portal. Because everywhere I go, I usually see you too! ;D

Of course there will be PC others who cry "but, but". The "other" candidate is five years my junior, and as such I consider him too overly mature to handle the job as President. We owe Wayne for the mural. GOBAMA.

I too like Obama's world view. I hope whomever gets elected will bring all the troops home, but I have this gut instinct neither candidate will.

We built a massive fortress in Baghdad, bigger than the size of the Vatican. Do you really think we are going to pull out all of our troops? Do you really think Obama will? He has connections to the Council of Foreign relations, Bilderberg, The Rothschilds and the Rockefellers, He's for NAFTA (and so is McLame) and the Trans Corridor superhighway which is going to close down all of our ports across the country (LB included) and open a massive shipping terminal in Mexico. How many more jobs is America going to lose becuase of these people?

And dont you find it odd that neither candidate questioned the other about their legal status to even be a presidential candidate? Questions about Obama and where he was born? Questions about McCain? Born in Panama? McCain said he was born on a military base there which by law should make him native born, BUT there wasnt a military base in Panama until 8 years after he was born there. So, both sides potentially are not qualified. If things were on the up and up with at least one of them, he would be attacking the other, dont cha think??

Im not here to change your vote, or change you. You are a beautiful person just as you are. I am here to wake something inside of you or inside of someone a little that something is just not right with this country and the people who run it. These two candidates are virtually the same (sans a few issues) and the big bankers are the ones who will decide this election, not the people. With so many similarities (like both voting FOR a bailout of Wall St) its clear that both candidates are merely puppets on a string.

Good luck to everyones candidate, but I think Stalin said it best. Its not who votes that counts, its who counts the votes. And wasnt this true in 2000 and 2004?

I recommend further information with websites like infowars.com and watching movies like "America: Freedom to Fascism", "TerrorStorn", "The Money Masters", "Fabled Enemies", "ENDGAME: Blueprint for Global Enslavement" and possibly the first 1/3 of "Zeitgeist: Addendum" which shows clearly how our monetary system is a sham and there no longer is any real value to our currency. The rest of the movie is interesting too as it covers alternative energy ideas, but some of the talk is a bit too Utopian. Some good ideas nonetheless. All these movies I have listed above can be found FREE on google video. Check em out. In higher quality Im sure you can find them as a torrent as well. Dont turn a blind eye to these movies. They are packed with a ton of information. As Buddha said, take what resonates with your own reason and your own common sense. Im sure you'll learn a lot.

Petrea, I too want badly this country to be fixed, troops to come home, friendship to all nations like our founding fathers wanted, respect for all people and all walks of life, but when the whole thing is just a shell game controlled by the puppet masters, the only thing that will really help this country is a revolution.

A few good quotes....

"War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is. Revolution is when you decide that for yourself." -Anonymous

"Truth is treason in an empire of lies." -Ron Paul

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls." - Simon & Garfunkel

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum -- even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate." -Noam Chomsky

I already voted and it was so much fun I'm going back after lunch and doing it again. The ladies behind the table had coffee cake and were really nice. I talked to this funny old guy about his dog for like twenty minutes. There were happy people everywhere. Voting is great!

Elaine, does talk about assassins self-perpetuate? Have there been threats? I've heard talk but I haven't heard of threats. I'm surprised Bush wasn't threatened, but then again, historically it's the most-loved figures who are in danger, not the most-hated.

Hi Hilda! Thank you, that must be it!

Hi Jilly - I'm not surprised you agree, I think most of the non-American population does. I wish the Americans who didn't agree with me would study that and learn why.

Hi Jim! I'm more excited than nervous. I hardly slept last night and I made a lot of plans today so I don't have to sit around and think too much...

Sally, I'm heading out right after this. Hoping he wins is not enough. We all have to take action and make it happen!

Sharon! (Wow, Sharon got her picture taken with Senator Obama...)

Kelly, I'm going to take cookies and water and umbrellas (we have a little rain) to help people enjoy standing in line. I'm also going to take a positive attitude.

Hi Pascal Jim. Gobama indeed! I'm so excited. I woke up early like a kid who can't sleep on Christmas morning. I've never been so excited for an election in my life. It's never been this important before.

Shirtees, I understand your cynicism. A politician's a politician. Obama's not a god and a lot of people are expecting miracles he won't be able to deliver. I recommend, however, that you check some non-biased sites like snopes.com on those birth records. Both candidates are legit, which is why nobody called them out on it.

It's hard to find nonpartisan information, but the stuff you're reading is all slanted to freak you out. Our system isn't perfect, but it holds up under some awesome pressure. It's worth listening to the revolutionaries - hell, I've been one way more than you know. I'm way more of a lefty than Obama is. But I encourage you, as you read the revolutionary literature, not to let it close your eyes while you think it's opening them.

Hey anonymous, what do you think? I think it's time for the electoral college to be eliminated. It was originally created because our founding fathers believed the electorate wasn't intelligent or informed enough to elect the right person. They wanted a fail-safe in case "the people" elected the wrong person.

I see the Electoral College as an elitist cap on a populist Congress. Honestly, it was a sop thrown to southern states during the Constitutional Convention of 1787; they swore they'd never sign off on the main document unless control of the vote was invested in the elite. Made it easier for them to control their commercial interests (King Cotton was coming …) But that was back when we had only 13 outposts in this New World. Times have rendered the E.College worse than irrelevant.

By the same logic, I support the abolishment of the Senate, too (or its absorption into the "Congress")—along the lines of the dwindling of the House of Lords. Bicamerality serves few well. It makes more sense to have a direct vote (I'm ambivalent about proportional representation vs. winner-take-all), and to reduce the 3 branches of government to Executive, Judicial and a unified Legislature.

But never fall into the cynical faith that popular voting is meaningless; never give up strength in numbers; we outnumber the Cheneys of the world.

I think I saw Wayne yesterday with a megaphone in hand tooling around the Rose Bowl encouraging the Obama vote. Then I walked up to Devils Gate Dam where the ugliest post nautical nightmare house in Pasadena (just my humble esthetic opinion, but I'm right) had unfurled a yes on 8 banner across the entire very very large porch. It's that circular house you can see from every angle. Ugh

I voted first thing this morning, and I'm now looking forward a long day (night?) of news watching. Aside from the presidential election, I'm also holding my breath for a couple of local measures.

I'm not expecting miracles from the governement, just reasonable policies, smart people to exchange ideas and do their best for the country.

Has anyone else used to watch the West Wing? I always thought it was liberals' wet dream of what a government should be as opposed to what it was in reality. Wouldn't it be nice to have a government full of smart, articulate and passionate people?

Bernie, you know I agree about the college. I hadn't thought of the Senate like the House of Lords. Interesting that our founding fathers, so desperate to get away from British rule, designed things much like the British form of government.

PA: I know the house. I don't mind seeing their sign - after all, it's a political campaign. But it's too bad we all have to see the house.

I hope so, C.O. I have no illusions. Obama is no leftist god. He's a human being and he's as centrist as a Clinton. But I'm willing to do my part to help.

PCC, your fellow conservatives would have to travel to the 2300 block of North Lincoln Avenue to deface this mural and I'm certain they'd never do such a thing.

Vanda! Intelligence and reason in the White House? What a concept. Yes, I expect some from Obama. He's still a politician, but I'm hoping for the best from him.

Thank you Ann! (Apparently I have to renew my library card...oops. That will be a pleasure.)

Freefalling, he can't possibly deliver the miracles people are hoping for, that's a given. But we're still a strong nation and he's given us so much already. I think we can hang in there with him and help him make the changes. We've felt so down for so long, we're just grateful to have hope again.

There is something else that Stalin said "Men, problems, no men, no problems." But it's not acceptable.

And who knows if Cynde Crawford won't be a teacher one day...Obama is a role model by his unique way to be at ease and respectul of anyone crossing his way. Listening, learning and moving things. It's time for younger people to go forward and build a new way of life with new means.

I do hope that unity will be something we will work towards, but the term "tolerance" is rather a misnomer, I think.

(please excuse this small rant in advance)Tolerance is a term that says I have to tolerate your views, but since I am wrong, you don't have to tolerate my view. Sorry, tolerance doesn't work for me. (okay, end of rant)

Christie: yeah, tolerance sounds like such a harmless, nice word. It also devalues life. But, we should tolerate the hearing out of all views & opinions on issues. Whoever "wins" or get political power always tries to quiet, if not silence, their opposition. What is it again about power & corruption. Tolerance of actions & behaviors, less so.

BdeK: you're obviously not talking about the ChiCubs.

LA Dodgers SWEEP the cubs 3-0!!!

btw, how's the MLB team in OR doing?

P, re that photo of you in front of O'bama: either you've gotten taller since I last saw you, or it was retouched by Playboy.

Christie, your cynicism is unearned. Tolerance is a virtue, advocated in Christian scripture. When you twist its meaning, you hurt yourself first.

You may not like, e.g., my private choices, but if they're harmless, you have no right in this country to legislate against them. Who decides if my private choices are harmless? In America, that duty is assigned to secular judges. This country was founded, in part, to create a haven in the world where religious rules could no longer invade lives. There's been too much of that, down through the millennia. You should remember that; it protects you, too.

Thus it's not that I want you to tolerate my views but refuse to tolerate yours—in fact, I do. But I don't try to legislate your actions. That's intolerant. I don't tell you how to decorate you public places, nor invade your relationship with your doctor, nor force you to pay homage to my harmless private choices (e.g., my spiritual beliefs or sexual practices). I ask—no, I require—only that you tolerate them. (To legislate against them, you'd have to convince a judge that they harm you somehow.)

So think about that before you complain—think hard about why religion is kept within certain bounds in America. It doesn't matter what your pulpit tells you: when we base the law in secular values, freedom tends to flourish. When religion determines law, freedom tends to diminish; just look at Iran under the clerics. That's why Nazis are permitted to assemble: if we tolerate them, they have to tolerate us. See now that works? It's unpleasant, but it's necessary in a civil society. That tradition of tolerance lights the way out of immemorial darkness.

Remember: all law carries the weight of force; the threat of violence by duly constituted officers of the law. When religious (or other) intolerance leads to unfair legislation, force is threatened to invade private lives, and we're all injured. As Jesus admonished, none of us dares to throw that first stone. Quite a daunting caution … its product is called "civilization."